Engine won't turn over after positive battery clamp came off

GasUsed2b35centspg wrote: When I was able to start the engine, I

Sorry - what I meant to write was "when I was able to look under the hood, I ealized the positive battery clamp completely came off the positive terminal.

It sounds like the engine is spinning it just doesn't start. Is this correct?

If there are also other wires on the plosive clamp assembly make sure they are all still connected and have a good connection. Unfortunately the cable most likely came off when you were last driving the car. The alternator can go kind of nuts when there is no battery connected and it is possible that you have other damage now. Hopefully it is limited to a fusible link or two.

If someone put this battery in for you I would be on the phone tomorrow morning raising kane! No sense in that kind of shoddy work.

Steve B.

If the clamp is loose you won't be able to draw the 250 amps the starter needs to turn over the engine. Shim the clamp and tighten it then see if there is a problem.

The starter needs a LOT of power to turn the engine over properly. As long as that clamp is loose, it won't start.

You can do one of two things... Buy a replacement clamp and repair the positive wire, OR they make lead post covers that make the post larger and then you can clamp over that.

I vote for replacing the clamp.

Thanks for your responses.

Should I have any problem starting the car with my Prestone jumper battery, which has never failed before (even when prior batteries were completely drained)? As I said, I just noticed that the clamp was off this afternoon, and I hadn't driven the car in a day and a half. At the very least, I'd like to drive the car back to the service station and let them fix or replace the clamp at no charge

If I pull off the loose positive clamp, should I take off the negative one too, before I use a wrench to tighten the clamp nut?

I read another post here stating that the negative post of the battery controls the rest of the car (alarm, lights, etc.). If that's true, can this battery recharge itself or will I need to replace the battery?

When wrenching on the battery, it's generally a *REALLY* good idea to pull the negative clamp before doing anything on the positive side - When the negative side is hooked up, any contact between the positive post and the body of the car equals "dead short" - The level of "interesting" that results from creating such a short can vary from "look at all the pretty sparks" to "Wow... I didn't know a wrench could be turned into a puddle of glowing hot liquid so quickly. Boy, it really sucks having a wrench turn to liquid and dribble through your fingers..." or a near infinite number of variations between those extremes. So yes, it's a good idea to disconnect the negative side before you put a wrench n the positive side. Since the negative post is already connected to the rest of the car, it doesn't matter if you bang the wrench against the body while tightening (or loosening) the bolt on that side.

As far as the "negative side controls the rest of the car" - I don't recall seeing that post, but if that's what got said, whoever wrote it was talking out his ass about something he clearly knows *ABSOLUTELY NOTHING* about.

As for the rest of your trouble, like others have said, get that clamp tight. And don't be horribly surprised if the alternator is toast - As stated elsewhere, the alternator can do some really odd things when the load presented by the battery isn't in the circuit like it should be. As an example, I had a cable shake loose on a washboard road one night while doing my paper route. Within a matter of seconds, I lost every light bulb that was powered up at the time - Both headlights and all of the marker lights fried, the dome light popped, the bulb in the radio puked, and I had to replace every one of the "light up the instrument panel" bulbs. Fortunately, the vehicle was an older rig with no computer to be fried by the massive over-voltage, so I was able to drive it home once daylight came and I could see to drive, but I have little doubt that if it had a computer module in it, that would probably have cooked off and outright killed the vehicle.

I vote for replacing the whole cable, unless the OP is equipped to use one of those solder-filled marine type replacement clamps. The regular parts store ones are good in a pinch, but that's about it.

nate

Not if you attached the jumper battery to the clamps directly. If it still doesn't start, or at least try to (the jumper battery may not be quite strong enough to start the car all by itself) you may have more issues than just the clamp.

nate

Don Bruder4/28/08 1:11J7idnaL8bagdwYjVnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com

Dan, what a great sense of humor. I would like to add another caveat about working on batteries. Whenever working on batteries, always wear a good pair of wrap around safety goggles. During normal charging processes, the battery generates hydrogen gas which mixes with the oxygen inside the battery. During some conditions (like a dead short with a wrench or an internal short) it is possible for that gas mixture to ignite (read explode). When it does, the battery literally blows up and sprays sulfuric acid all over everything. Your eyesight is too precious to play fast and loose with. Never jump start a car without protecting your eyes. You should also make the final connection to a grounded body part well away from the battery so if there is a spark it won't occur near a battery. Read up on proper jump start procedure before you need it to get all the details. Do it right.

Well, I just spent a whole day with the car. First I tried to use my jumper battery and after that didn't work, I went for a gallon of gas, thinking the tank was near empty. That was also no help, so it was time to call for a tow to the repair station. Once I got it in for repair, the first diagnosis was the distributor went because there wasn't a spark when trying to start the car. Remember that there wasn't a problem with the battery as the lights, radio, and engine were cranking. The engine just wouldn't start.

After I came home, I received a call from the tech who said that upon further inspection, it wasn't the distributor. When he looked under the dashboard, he noticed my computer was missing! That's probably why I saw the positive battery clamp off the terminal last night. When someone broke in to steal the computer, to shut the alarm they disengaged the positive clamp from the battery. Why would anyone want a 1995 Civic Ex computer? Is this common?

I don't know how a thief into the car so easily. There's a Chapman lock for the hood, and there's no sign of forced entry.

Anyone know where to get a new one? I see that RockAuto has one that has to be ordered.

Probably one of the local "tuner crowd" stole it because they blew up theirs doing the latest mod.

What model years would this computer fit and does anyone know of good online sites for replacement ones?

Well from the book it looks like they use the same base computer in a LOT of different vehicles, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, Mercury, Mazda, Infinity, Lexus all have it listed. Years from 1982-1995. They are then programmed with a unit to match what your vehicle needs.

Rock Auto doesn't sell the one you need, They offer a rebuild and return but you need a unit to send them first.

37820 P28 A52 seems to be the OEM part you need. About $500.00 new. Try here for more info.

Try this place, I haven't used them but they allow you to search the entire USA.

Thanks for the links.

Both Car-part.com and Honda-Ecu are good links, as is Majestichonda -

Car-parts.com gave me alot of options and most are in the $100 to $200 range for a used computer. Nothing can replace this one though, as the car only had 21,000 miles on it (no kidding - it was hardly driven as it was a 2nd car).

I think my repair tech is looking at getting a used one in the $300 range or so, so I'll let him do the searching as he's going to have to install it. Any ideas as to what labor charges should be?

This car has a factory alarm, and it never was set to go off if the hood and trunk were opened. It only seems to go off if the front doors or engine is started. At this stage of the game, does it pay to upgrade the alarm?

Minimal, unless it's hidden somewhere difficult to access. He'll probably charge you a couple hours for troubleshooting etc. but the actual install is really no big deal. I can change the computer in my

944 in about half an hour, taking my time etc.

nate

Are you a technician or just handy with cars? I'm pretty good with home wiring and computers, so I'm wondering if I followed an instruction manual, would I be able to install it myself in the future?

Isn't there any additional programming needed to be done by the repair station, or a device it needs to be hooked up to?

Now I'm beginning to think I should call around and buy a spare used one.

I know just enough to be *REALLY* dangerous :)

Probably.

This would depend on your particular car, and the manufacturer's method of setting up computers for different vehicles/drivetrains. They may use the same part number computer for many different vehicles, and just reflash the firmware for the specific app. Or they may have a different part number for each different combination. Short answer, I don't know.

nate